US surveillance aircraft to help find kidnapped girls

The United States has deployed manned surveillance
aircraft over Nigeria and is sharing satellite imagery with the
Nigerian government to find more than 200 schoolgirls abducted
by Islamist insurgents, a senior Obama administration official
says.

"We have shared commercial satellite imagery with the
Nigerians and are flying manned ISR (intelligence,
surveillance and reconnaissance) assets over Nigeria with the
government's permission," the official said.

The United States has sent military, law-enforcement and
development experts to Nigeria to help search for the missing
girls who were kidnapped by Boko Haram militants from a
secondary school in Chibok in remote northeastern Nigeria on
April 14.

"We are providing intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance support," State Department spokeswoman Jen
Psaki told a news briefing. She said US teams on the ground
"are digging in on the search and coordinating closely with
the Nigerian government as well as international partners and
allies."

Last week, US Undersecretary for Africa Linda
Thomas-Greenfield told Reuters in an interview that Nigeria
had requested surveillance and intelligence from the United
States. .

Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan has said he believes the
girls are still in Nigeria. The leader of Boko Haram has
offered to release them in exchange for members of its group
being detained, according to a video posted on YouTube on
Monday.